Dras sub-sector back in India's control

After the capture of Point 5140, Indian troops were now
carrying out mopping up operations in the Dras sub-sector even as a
determined assault was launched in the Tiger Hills area during the last 24 hours.

Army spokesman, Col Bikram Singh, said till now 326
Pakistani army soldiers had been killed. According to him there were
about 600 to 700 Pakistani army soldiers in Indian territory who
belonged to four battalions of the Northern Light Infantry.

The Indian casualties were 149 killed, 297 wounded and
nine missing.

Air Force spokesman Group Captain Ganesh said like yesterday
no missions were possible due to the bad weather in the Kargil
sector.

Col Singh said the lifeline to Siachen glacier, the national
highway 1A, was being used by convoys of the Indian Army. There were
patches where the highway was under fire but that was being
circumvented by the Indian army convoys, he added.

In the Batalik sub-sector, last night, Indian troops evicted the
intruders from the north-west spur of point 5203 killing seven
Pakistani soldiers.

Indian troops also destroyed two enemy field fortifications with
artillery and mortar fire, killing three Pakistanis and injuring
two, Col Singh said.

Asked whether the Indian Army would be able to sustain the
position it had captured, the army spokesman said administrative
pauses were taken only to see that the intruders were not allowed to
settle in any position close by.

He admitted that there was an 'eyeball-to-eyeball contact' in
many positions and it would take time to drive out the intruders
because it was not easy to target them.

A report from Srinagar said considerable success had been
achieved in the western region of Mushkoh valley. The infiltrators,
who had come in about six km into Indian territory, had been driven
back from the vital ridges, Col A S Chabiwal told reporters who were
taken to Dras.

The colonel said the intruders had been pushed to within 2.5 km
of the LOC.

Asked about reports in Pakistan indicating that the Indians were
planning to open up more fronts, Col Singh said: ''We respect the
sanctity of the LoC. All our operations will be confined to our side
of the territory.''

He said the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked mortar firing
in Uri, Rampur, Poonch, Bhimbergali, Naushera and Palanwala which
was responded to adequately.

Col singh said after the battle of point 5140 was won, Indian
troops recovered five universal machine guns, four rifles
(two of them AK 46), one rocket propelled grenade launcher,
eleven RPG rockets, eight UMG ammunition belt boxes, two UMG spare
barrels and a radio set ANPRC with booster.

Further proof of Pakistan Army's involvement was found by the
Indian troops when they recovered a pay book belonging to a junior
commissioned officer, Subedar Sayyed Mohammed Shah, of 6 Northern
Light Infantry.